We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
To save content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Creating a sustainable residency research program is necessary to develop a sustainable research pipeline, as highlighted by the recent Society for Academic Emergency Medicine 2024 Consensus Conference. We sought to describe the implementation of a novel, immersive research program for first-year emergency medicine residents. We describe the curriculum development, rationale, implementation process, and lessons learned from the implementation of a year-long research curriculum for first-year residents. We further evaluated resident perception of confidence in research methodology, interest in research, and the importance of their research experience through a 32-item survey. In two cohorts, 25 first-year residents completed the program. All residents met their scholarly project requirements by the end of their first year. Two conference abstracts and one peer-reviewed publication were accepted for publication, and one is currently under review. Survey responses indicated that there was an increase in residents’ perceived confidence in research methodology, but this was limited by the small sample size. In summary, this novel resident research curriculum demonstrated a standardized, reproducible, and sustainable approach to provide residents with an immersive research program.
People with severe mental illness (SMI) have worse physical health than the general population. There is evidence that support from volunteers can help the mental health of people with SMI, but little evidence regarding the support they can give for physical health.
Aims
To evaluate the feasibility of an intervention where volunteer ‘Health Champions’ support people with SMI in managing their physical health.
Method
A feasibility hybrid randomised controlled trial conducted in mental health teams with people with SMI. Volunteers delivered the Health Champions intervention. We collected data on the feasibility of delivering the intervention, and clinical and cost-effectiveness. Participants were randomised by a statistician independent of the research team, to either having a Health Champion or treatment as usual. Blinding was not done.
Results
We recruited 48 participants: 27 to the intervention group and 21 to the control group. Data were analysed for 34 participants. No changes were found in clinical effectiveness for either group. Implementation outcomes measures showed high acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness, but with low response rates. No adverse events were identified in either group. Interviews with participants found they identified changes they had made to their physical health. The cost of implementing the intervention was £312 per participant.
Conclusions
The Health Champion intervention was feasible to implement, but the implementation of the study measures was problematic. Participants found the intervention acceptable, feasible and appropriate, and it led them to make changes in their physical health. A larger trial is recommended, with tailored implementation outcome measures.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Acidity and the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio correlate with immunotherapy resistance. AcidoCEST MRI and hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HP-MRS) measure extracellular pH and lactate-to-pyruvate ratio. We will establish a baseline for these biomarkers then observe changes after combination esomeprazole and immunotherapy. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We used multiple melanoma models created via serial in vivo passage under immunotherapeutic pressure (FVAX, CTLA-4, PD-1, PD-L1). We used four of these corresponding to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% resistance (TMT, F2, F3, and F4, respectively). HP-MRS was performed two weeks post implantation in male BL6 mice with AcidoCEST MRI 2-3 days later. Tumors were implanted in additional mice and grown for 1 week. We used esomeprazole as a possible immunotherapy sensitizer. Esomeprazole (or PBS) alone and in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB; αCTLA-4, αPD-1) was then conducted every 3 days for 3 doses. ICB was administered 3h after esomeprazole. AcidoCEST MRI was performed the day after the final dose of combination therapy and 3h after esomeprazole (or PBS) alone. HP-MRS was performed 2-3 days after acidoCEST MRI. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: There was a statistical increase in the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio of the F4 group compared with TMT, F2, and F3 groups (p < 0.05). The TMT, F2, and F3 groups did not differ significantly. The extracellular pH (pHe) of the TMT group was statistically lower than the F2 and F4 groups (p < 0.05). The pHe did not differ significantly between the TMT and F3 groups nor the F2, F3, and F4 groups. The lactate-to-pyruvate ratio and pHe after combination treatment with esomeprazole and ICB did not differ compared to PBS+ICB control. Treatment with esomeprazole alone generated higher lactate-to-pyruvate ratio compared with PBS alone. Tumor volume curves and survival curves of mice bearing F4 tumors treated with esomeprazole combination with ICB showed no difference compared with PBS+ICB, PBS alone, and esomeprazole alone. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We differentiated between the 100% and 25% resistant models with both pHe and lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, although the pHe was counterintuitive. Esomeprazole was ineffective, but other potential sensitizers exist. A non-invasive clinical imaging tool and sensitizer would permit more personalized treatment plans so treatment is more effective.
Pierre shale samples from a thin stratigraphic zone within the contact aureole of the lamprophyric Waisen dike record changes due to thermal effects that are not influenced by detrital differences. Analyses of fixed-NH4, mineralogy, and Rock-Eval pyrolysis indicators of organic matter maturity provide new insights on the fixation process. Fixed-NH4 increases with the quantity of authigenic illite formed from illite/smectite, but the maximum fixation per unit of illite formed occurs within the “oil window” where thermal breakdown of organic matter is rapid. Extrapolation of these results to the burial diagenetic regime supports the potential use of fixed-NH4 as an indicator of organic maturity and hydrocarbon migration pathways.
Background: Previous analyses describing the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and Staphylococcus aureus have focused on hospital-onset S. aureus infections occurring during COVID-19 hospitalizations. Because most invasive S. aureus (iSA) infections are community-onset (CO), we characterized CO iSA cases with a recent positive SARS-CoV-2 test (coinfection). Methods: We analyzed CDC Emerging Infections Program active, population- and laboratory-based iSA surveillance data among adults during March 1–December 31, 2020, from 11 counties in 7 states. The iSA cases (S. aureus isolation from a normally sterile site in a surveillance area resident) were considered CO if culture was obtained <3 days after hospital admission. Coinfection was defined as first positive SARS-CoV-2 test ≤14 days before the initial iSA culture. We explored factors independently associated with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection versus no prior positive SARS-CoV-2 test among CO iSA cases through a multivariable logistic regression model (using demographic, healthcare exposure, and underlying condition variables with P<0.25 in univariate analysis) and examined differences in outcomes through descriptive analysis. Results: Overall, 3,908 CO iSA cases were reported, including 138 SARS-CoV-2 coinfections (3.5%); 58.0% of coinfections had iSA culture and the first positive SARS-CoV-2 test on the same day (Fig. 1). In univariate analysis, neither methicillin resistance (44.2% with coinfection vs 36.5% without; P = .06) nor race and ethnicity differed significantly between iSA cases with and without SARS-CoV-2 coinfection (P = .93 for any association between race and ethnicity and coinfection), although iSA cases with coinfection were older (median age, 72 vs 60 years , P<0.01) and more often female (46.7% vs 36.3%, P=0.01). In multivariable analysis, significant associations with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection included older age, female sex, previous location in a long-term care facility (LTCF) or hospital, presence of a central venous catheter (CVC), and diabetes (Figure 2). Two-thirds of co-infection cases had ≥1 of the following characteristics: age > 73 years, LTCF residence 3 days before iSA culture, and/or CVC present any time during the 2 days before iSA culture. More often, iSA cases with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection were admitted to the intensive care unit ≤2 days after iSA culture (37.7% vs 23.3%, P<0.01) and died (33.3% vs 11.3%, P<0.01). Conclusions: CO iSA patients with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection represent a small proportion of CO iSA cases and mostly involve a limited number of factors related to likelihood of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 and iSA. Although CO iSA patients with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection had more severe outcomes, additional research is needed to understand how much of this difference is related to differences in patient characteristics.
The purpose of the audit was to assess the standard of communication to GPs from secondary mental health services and to ascertain whether the information included in letters to GPs was in accordance with the recommendations of RCPsych and PRSB. The audit cycle was completed by re auditing to identify how the recommendations from the first audit has improved the quality of communication to GPs.
Methods
The audit was conducted on three psychiatric units, in three sites across Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and clinic letters were studied to identify whether the information was as per recommendations from: RCPsych and PRSB.
The first audit used 121 letters in total from 3 sites, with the data being collected using audit proforma over a 2 week period from 04/04/22.
The re audit looked at 69 letters with data collection using audit proforma over one week period from 19/12/22.
Results
Majority of letters sent to GP were lacking key information like details of Care coordinators ,medical comorbidities ,non psychiatric diagnosis, and actions for GP with this data missing in 91.7%, 61.22 %,79.59% and 71.43% respectively. Fill rates for other information like patients' details was 100% , psychiatric diagnosis was 83.47%, psychiatric medications , follow-up plan were 80.17%.
The results of the re-audit most letters contained Psychiatric Diagnosis (97.1%, previous 83.5%), Psychiatric Medication (91.4%)previous 80.17%), and Follow Up Plan(98.6%, previous 80.2%). Many letters did not include information regarding Medical Comorbidity (28.6% vs 31.4% ), Non-Psychiatric Medication (65.7% vs 34.7%), Details of Care Co-ordinator (54.3% vs 8.3% ) and Action for GP (27.1%, vs 44.6%).
Conclusion
The recommendations from first audit were to create local guidelines and templates with recommended headings for clinical letters, provide formal teaching for junior doctors and to re audit to see if the implemented changes has led to an improvement.
The re-audit showed improvement since the introduction of the template in majority of headings in GP letters with decline in fill rate for 2 headings and these changes varied among three sites.
Barriers identified affecting the overall outcome of the re audit were :template not being used, lack of training to juniors, and psychiatrist workload.
In conclusion , we aim to re-distribute the template and increase awareness with informal teaching sessions, provide information on template during induction for doctors and organize training sessions on three sites.
The concept of inclusivity involved an understanding of people, programmes and places, embedded with complex issues. 21 student designers took part in a first-of-its-kind five-day codesign programme to develop solutions for inclusive and engaged communities with residents. This quasi-experimental study aimed to develop a value-based approach using likelihood ratio table and a Naïve Bayes classifier method to assess the success of a codesign programme, in comparison to past programmes with different design challenges. Methodology proposed a systematic investigation to evaluate this programme holistically. Students discussed with stakeholders to uncover the complexities of human and environmental factors in design at early stage of ideation, and semi-structured participants’ observation tasks were considered instead of researcher's observations in the method of assessment. Selected teams were introduced to two new design methods to empathise better with seniors, i.e., Care Circle and See and Shoot. Findings revealed that these teams showed greater levels of critical inquiry when overcoming three key challenges, i.e., (1) identifying key personas, (2) examining potential use environment, and (3) access to market.
Background: Incidence of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the United States during 2012–2017 has been reported to have been stable for hospital-onset BSIs and to have increased 3.9% per year for community-onset BSIs. We sought to determine whether these trends continued in more recent years and whether there were further differences within subgroups of community-onset BSIs. Methods: We analyzed CDC Emerging Infections Program active, population- and laboratory-based surveillance data during 2016–2019 for MSSA BSIs from 8 counties in 5 states. BSI cases were defined as isolation of MSSA from blood in a surveillance area resident. Cases were considered hospital onset (HO) if culture was obtained >3 days after hospital admission and healthcare-associated community-onset (HACO) if culture was obtained on or after day 3 of hospitalization and was associated with dialysis, hospitalization, surgery, or long-term care facility residence within 1 year prior or if a central venous catheter was present ≤2 days prior. Cases were otherwise considered community-associated (CA). Annual rates per 100,000 census population were calculated for each epidemiologic classification; rates of HACO cases among chronic dialysis patients per 100,000 dialysis patients were calculated using US Renal Data System data. Annual increases were modeled using negative binomial or Poisson regression and accounting for changes in the overall population age group, and sex. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results: Overall, 8,344 MSSA BSI cases were reported. From 2016–2019 total MSSA BSI rates increased from 23.9 per 100,000 to 28.5 per 100,000 (6.6% per year; P < .01). MSSA BSI rates also increased significantly among all epidemiologic classes. HO cases increased from 2.5 per 100,000 to 3.2 per 100,000 (7.9% per year; P = .01). HACO cases increased from 12.7 per 100,000 to 14.7 per 100,000 (7.0% per year; P = .01). CA cases increased from 8.4 per 100,000 to 10.4 per 100,000 (6.7% per year; P < .01) (Fig. 1). Significant increases in MSSA BSI rates were also observed for nondialysis HACO cases (9.3 per 100,000 to 11.1 per 100,000; 7.8% per year; P < .01) but not dialysis HACO cases (1,823.2 per 100,000 to 1,857.4 per 100,000; 1.4% per year; P = .59). Healthcare risk factors for HACO cases were hospitalization in the previous year (82%), surgery (31%), dialysis (27%), and long-term care facility residence (19%). Conclusions: MSSA BSI rates increased from 2016–2019 overall, among all epidemiologic classes, and among nondialysis HACO cases. Efforts to prevent MSSA BSIs among individuals with healthcare risk factors, particularly those related to hospitalization, might have an impact on MSSA BSI rates.
Ethnohistoric accounts indicate that the people of Australia's Channel Country engaged in activities rarely recorded elsewhere on the continent, including food storage, aquaculture and possible cultivation, yet there has been little archaeological fieldwork to verify these accounts. Here, the authors report on a collaborative research project initiated by the Mithaka people addressing this lack of archaeological investigation. The results show that Mithaka Country has a substantial and diverse archaeological record, including numerous large stone quarries, multiple ritual structures and substantial dwellings. Our archaeological research revealed unknown aspects, such as the scale of Mithaka quarrying, which could stimulate re-evaluation of Aboriginal socio-economic systems in parts of ancient Australia.
Despite current and predicted ongoing primary health care (PHC) nursing workforce shortages (Heywood & Laurence, 2018), the undergraduate nursing curricula in Australia and internationally remain largely directed towards acute care (Calma, Halcomb & Stephens, 2019; Mackey et al., 2018). Additionally, the efforts of schools of nursing in supporting the career development of new graduate nurses and their transition to practice also remain largely focused on employment in acute care tertiary settings. This chapter highlights the extent to which current undergraduate nursing curricula prepare registered nurses to work in PHC, reviews the attitudes of nurses regarding PHC employment and discusses the current challenges regarding nurse transitions between acute and PHC practice environments. Understanding the preparation nurses have for a PHC career, nurse attitudes towards and knowledge of PHC, andchallenges associated with transitions between practice environments are important to promote recruitment and retention of the PHC nursing workforce.
Despite current and predicted ongoing primary health care (PHC) nursing workforce shortages (Heywood & Laurence, 2018), the undergraduate nursing curricula in Australia and internationally remain largely directed towards acute care (Calma, Halcomb & Stephens, 2019; Mackey et al., 2018). Additionally, the efforts of schools of nursing in supporting the career development of new graduate nurses and their transition to practice also remain largely focused on employment in acute care tertiary settings. This chapter highlights the extent to which current undergraduate nursing curricula prepare registered nurses to work in PHC, reviews the attitudes of nurses regarding PHC employment and discusses the current challenges regarding nurse transitions between acute and PHC practice environments. Understanding the preparation nurses have for a PHC career, nurse attitudes towards and knowledge of PHC, andchallenges associated with transitions between practice environments are important to promote recruitment and retention of the PHC nursing workforce.
Background: The CDC has performed surveillance for invasive Staphylococcus aureus (iSA) infections through the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) since 2004. SCCmec and spa typing for clonal complex (CC) assignment and genomic markers have been used to characterize isolates. In 2019, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates began, allowing for high-resolution assessment of genomic diversity. Here, we evaluate the reliability of SCCmec typing, spa typing, and CC assignment using WGS data compared to traditional methods to ensure that backwards compatibility is maintained. Methods:S. aureus isolates were obtained from a convenience sample of iSA cases reported through the EIP surveillance system. Overall, 78 iSA isolates with diverse spa repeat patterns, CCs, SCCmec types, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were sequenced (MiSeq, Illumina). Real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing were used as the SCCmec and spa typing reference methods, respectively. spa-MLST mapping (Ridom SpaServer) served as the reference method for CC assignment. WGS assembly and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were performed using the CDC QuAISAR-H pipeline. WGS-based MLST CCs were assigned using eBURST and SCCmec types using SCCmecFinder. spa types were assigned from WGS assemblies using BioNumerics. For isolate subtyping, previously published and validated canonical single-nucleotide polymorphisms (canSNPs) as well as the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin and arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) virulence factor were assessed for all genome assemblies. Results: All isolates were assigned WGS-based spa types, which were 100% concordant (78 of 78) with Sanger-based spa typing. SCCmecFinder assigned 91% of isolates (71 of 78) SCCmec types, which were 100% concordant with reference method results. Also, 7 isolates had multiple cassettes predicted or an incomplete SCCmec region assembly. Using WGS data, 96% (75 of 78) of isolates were assigned CCs; 3 isolates had unknown sequence types that were single-locus variants of established sequence types. Overall, 70 isolates had CCs assigned by the reference method; 100% (70 of 70) concordance was observed with WGS-based CCs. Analysis of canSNPs placed 42% (33 of 78) of isolates into CC8, with 17 (52%) of these isolates classified as USA300. PVL and ACME were not accurate markers for inferring the USA300 subtype as 24% (4 of 17) of isolates did not contain these markers. Conclusions:S. aureus CCs, SCCmec, and spa types can be reliably determined using WGS. Incorporation of canSNP analysis represents a more efficient method for CC8 assignment than the use of genomic markers alone. WGS allows for the replacement of multiple typing methods for increased laboratory efficiency, while maintaining backward compatibility with historical typing nomenclature.
Background:
Most invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (iMRSA) infections have onset in the community but are associated with healthcare exposures. More than 25% of cases with healthcare exposure occur in nursing homes (NHs) where facility-specific iMRSA rates vary widely. We assessed associations between nursing home characteristics and iMRSA incidence rates to help target prevention efforts in NHs. Methods: We used active, laboratory- and population-based surveillance data collected through the Emerging Infections Program during 2011–2015 from 25 counties in 7 states. NH-onset cases were defined as isolation of MRSA from a normally sterile site in a surveillance area resident who was in a NH within 3 days before the index culture. We calculated MRSA incidence (cases per NH resident day) using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) skilled nursing facility cost reports and described variation in iMRSA incidence by NH. We used Poisson regression with backward selection, assessing variables for collinearity, to estimate adjusted rate ratios (aRRs) for NH characteristics (obtained from the CMS minimum dataset) associated with iMRSA rates. Results: Of 590 surveillance area NHs included in analysis, 89 (15%) had no NH-onset iMRSA infections. Rates ranged from 0 to 23.4 infections per 100,000 resident days. Increased rate of NH-onset iMRSA infection occurred with increased percentage of residents in short stay ≤30 days (aRR, 1.09), exhibiting wounds or infection (surgical wound [aRR, 1.08]; vascular ulcer/foot infection [aRR, 1.09]; multidrug-resistant organism infection [aRR, 1.13]; receipt of antibiotics [aRR, 1.06]), using medical devices or invasive support (ostomy [aRR, 1.07]; dialysis [aRR, 1.07]; ventilator support [aRR, 1.17]), carrying neurologic diagnoses (cerebral palsy [aRR, 1.14]; brain injury [aRR, 1.1]), and demonstrating debility (requiring considerable assistance with bed mobility [aRR, 1.05]) (Table). iMRSA rates decreased with increased percentage of residents receiving influenza vaccination (aRR, 0.96) and with the presence of any patients in isolation for any active infection (aRR, 0.83). Conclusions: iMRSA incidence varies greatly across nursing homes, with many NH patient and facility characteristics associated with NH-onset iMRSA rate differences. Some associations (short stay, wounds and infection, medical device use and invasive support) suggest that targeted interventions utilizing known strategies to decrease transmission may help to reduce infection rates, while others (neurologic diagnoses, influenza vaccination, presence of patients in isolation) require further exploration to determine their role. These findings can help identify NHs in other areas more likely to have higher rates of NH-onset iMRSA who could benefit from interventions to reduce infection rates.
Background: Contamination of healthcare workers and patient environments likely play a role in the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms. The mechanisms that contribute to the distribution of organisms within and between patient rooms are not well understood, but they may include movement patterns and patient interactions of healthcare workers. We used an innovative technology for tracking healthcare worker movement and patient interactions in ICUs. Methods: The Kinect system, a device developed by Microsoft, was used to detect the location of a person’s hands and head over time, each represented with 3-dimensional coordinates. The Kinects were deployed in 2 intensive care units (ICUs), at 2 different hospitals, and they collected data from 5 rooms in a high-acuity 20-bed cardiovascular ICU (unit 1) and 3 rooms in a 10-bed medical-surgical ICU (unit 2). The length of the Kinect deployment varied by room (range, 15–48 days). The Kinect data were processed to included date, time, and location of head and hands for all individuals. Based on the coordinates of the bed, we defined events indicating bed touch, distance 30 cm (1 foot) from the bed, and distance 1 m (3 feet) from the bed. The processed Kinect data were then used to generate heat maps showing density of person locations within a room and summarizing bed touches and time spent in different locations within the room. Results: The Kinect systems captured In total, 2,090 hours of room occupancy by at least 1 person within ~1 m of the bed (Table 1). Approximately half of the time spent within ~1 m from the bed was at the bedside (within ~30 cm). The estimated number of bed touches per hour when within ~1 m was 13–23. Patients spent more time on one side of the bed, which varied by room and facility (Fig. 1A, 1B). Additionally, we observed temporal variation in intensity measured by person time in the room (Fig. 1C, 1D). Conclusions: High occupancy tends to be on the far side (away from the door) of the patient bed where the computers are, and the bed touch rate is relatively high. These results can be used to help us understand the potential for room contamination, which can contribute to both transmission and infection, and they highlight critical times and locations in the room, with a potential for focused deep cleaning.
Background: Incidence of community-associated (CA) and healthcare-associated, community-onset (HACO) USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections has remained unchanged in recent years. Traditionally considered a CA strain, USA300 is increasingly associated with healthcare settings. We examined whether antimicrobial nonsusceptibility among USA300 strains could distinguish epidemiologic class (community vs hospital), and whether divergences in susceptibility were occurring over time. Methods: We used data on invasive MRSA infections from active, population, and laboratory-based surveillance during 2005–2016 from 11 counties in 3 states. Invasive cases were defined as MRSA isolation from a normally sterile site in a surveillance area resident. Cases were considered hospital-onset (HO) if the culture was obtained >3 days after hospitalization and HACO if ≥1 of the following risk factors was present: hospitalization, surgery, dialysis, or residence in a long-term care facility in the past year; or central vascular catheter ≤2 days before culture. Otherwise, cases were considered CA. Sites submitted a convenience sample of clinical MRSA isolates for molecular typing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Molecular typing was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis until 2008, when typing was inferred using a validated algorithm based on molecular characteristics. Reference broth microdilution was performed for 8 antimicrobials and interpreted based on CLSI interpretive criteria. We compared USA300 nonsusceptibility for HO and CA isolates. For antimicrobials with >5% nonsusceptibility and for which HO isolates had greater nonsusceptibility than CA isolates, we compared nonsusceptibility for HACO and CA and analyzed annual trends in nonsusceptibility within each epidemiologic class (ie, CA, HACO, and HO) using linear regression. Results: Of 17,947 MRSA cases during 2005–2016, isolates were available for 6,685 (37%), and 2,120 were USA300 (34% CA, 52% HACO, 14% HO). HO isolates had more nonsusceptibility than CA isolates to gentamicin (2.2% vs 0.6%; P = .03), levofloxacin (47.8% vs 39.7%; P = .02), rifampin (3.7 vs 1.1%; P = .01), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (3.4% vs 0.6%; P = .04). HACO isolates also had more nonsusceptibility than CA isolates to levofloxacin (50.9% vs 39.7%; P < .01). Levofloxacin nonsusceptibility increased during 2005–2016 for HACO and CA isolates (P < .01), but not among HO isolates (P = .36) (Fig. 1). Conclusions: Overall, nonsusceptibility across drugs cannot distinguish USA300 isolates causing HO versus CA disease. Although HO isolates had higher levofloxacin nonsusceptibility than CA and HACO isolates early on, USA300 MRSA HACO isolates now have levofloxacin nonsusceptibility most similar to that of HO isolates. Further study could help to explore whether increases in fluoroquinolone nonsusceptibility among CA and HACO cases may be contributing to the persistence of USA300 strains.
Men sexually interested in children of a specific combination of maturity and sex tend to show some lesser interest in other categories of persons. Patterns of men's sexual interest across erotic targets' categories of maturity and sex have both clinical and basic scientific implications.
Method
We examined the structure of men's sexual interest in adult, pubescent, and prepubescent males and females using multidimensional scaling (MDS) across four datasets, using three large samples and three indicators of sexual interest: phallometric response to erotic stimuli, sexual offense history, and self-reported sexual attraction. The samples were highly enriched for men sexually interested in children and men accused of sexual offenses.
Results
Results supported a two-dimensional MDS solution, with one dimension representing erotic targets' biological sex and the other dimension representing their sexual maturity. The dimension of sexual maturity placed adults and prepubescent children on opposite ends, and pubescent children intermediate. Differences between men's sexual interest in adults and prepubescent children of the same sex were similar in magnitude to the differences between their sexual interest in adult men and women. Sexual interest in adult men was no more associated with sexual interest in boys than sexual interest in adult women was associated with sexual interest in girls.
Conclusions
Erotic targets' sexual maturity and biological sex play important roles in men's preferences, which are predictive of sexual offending. The magnitude of men's preferences for prepubescent children v. adults of their preferred sex is large.
The purpose of this chapter is to consider the manner in which evolutionary perspectives offer an additional level of understanding to the field of psychopathology. This perspective offers both long-term and short-term considerations of psychological difficulties in everyday life. For all organisms, one of the main themes of evolution is the manner in which organisms are in close connection with their environment. It is this close connection that allows for change – including the turning on and off of genetic processes – to take place. In psychopathological disorders, this close connection with both the external and internal environment of the person may be dysfunctional.
When a person loses contact with the current environment and applies strategies that worked perhaps in an earlier time, then unsuccessful adaptation is the result. This lack of connectedness to our environment may take place on both external and internal levels.
To evaluate probiotics for the primary prevention of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) among hospital inpatients.
DESIGN
A before-and-after quality improvement intervention comparing 12-month baseline and intervention periods.
SETTING
A 694-bed teaching hospital.
INTERVENTION
We administered a multispecies probiotic comprising L. acidophilus (CL1285), L. casei (LBC80R), and L. rhamnosus (CLR2) to eligible antibiotic recipients within 12 hours of initial antibiotic receipt through 5 days after final dose. We excluded (1) all patients on neonatal, pediatric and oncology wards; (2) all individuals receiving perioperative prophylactic antibiotic recipients; (3) all those restricted from oral intake; and (4) those with pancreatitis, leukopenia, or posttransplant. We defined CDI by symptoms plus C. difficile toxin detection by polymerase chain reaction. Our primary outcome was hospital-onset CDI incidence on eligible hospital units, analyzed using segmented regression.
RESULTS
The study included 251 CDI episodes among 360,016 patient days during the baseline and intervention periods, and the incidence rate was 7.0 per 10,000 patient days. The incidence rate was similar during baseline and intervention periods (6.9 vs 7.0 per 10,000 patient days; P=.95). However, compared to the first 6 months of the intervention, we detected a significant decrease in CDI during the final 6 months (incidence rate ratio, 0.6; 95% confidence interval, 0.4–0.9; P=.009). Testing intensity remained stable between the baseline and intervention periods: 19% versus 20% of stools tested were C. difficile positive by PCR, respectively. From medical record reviews, only 26% of eligible patients received a probiotic per the protocol.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite poor adherence to the protocol, there was a reduction in the incidence of CDI during the intervention, which was delayed ~6 months after introducing probiotic for primary prevention.
Because antibacterial history is difficult to obtain, especially when the exposure occurred at an outside hospital, we assessed whether infection-related diagnostic billing codes, which are more readily available through hospital discharge databases, could infer prior antibacterial receipt.
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.
PARTICIPANTS
This study included 121,916 hospitalizations representing 78,094 patients across the 3 hospitals.
METHODS
We obtained hospital inpatient data from 3 Chicago-area hospitals. Encounters were categorized as “infection” if at least 1 International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code indicated a bacterial infection. From medication administration records, we categorized antibacterial agents and calculated total therapy days using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions. We evaluated bivariate associations between infection encounters and 3 categories of antibacterial exposure: any, broad spectrum, or surgical prophylaxis. We constructed multivariable models to evaluate adjusted risk ratios for antibacterial receipt.
RESULTS
Of the 121,916 inpatient encounters (78,094 patients) across the 3 hospitals, 24% had an associated infection code, 47% received an antibacterial, and 13% received a broad-spectrum antibacterial. Infection-related ICD-9-CM codes were associated with a 2-fold increase in antibacterial administration compared to those lacking such codes (RR, 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.27–2.31) and a 5-fold increased risk for broad-spectrum antibacterial administration (RR, 5.52; 95% CI, 5.37–5.67). Encounters with infection codes had 3 times the number of antibacterial days.
CONCLUSIONS
Infection diagnostic billing codes are strong surrogate markers for prior antibacterial exposure, especially to broad-spectrum antibacterial agents; such an association can be used to enhance early identification of patients at risk of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) carriage at the time of admission.