Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is a recently discovered human coronavirus found to cause respiratory illness in children and adults that is distinct from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and human coronaviruses 229E (HCoV-229E) and OC43 (HCoV-OC43). ⋯ HCoV-NL63 is a significant pathogen that contributes to the hospitalization of children, and it was estimated to have caused 224 hospital admissions per 100,000 population aged < or = 6 years each year in Hong Kong.
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Biography Historical Article
Nightingale in Scutari: her legacy reexamined.
Nearly a century after the death of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), historians continue to debate her legacy. We discuss her seminal work during the Crimean War (1854-1856), the nature of these interventions during the war, and her continued impact today. We argue that Florence Nightingale's influence today extends beyond her undeniable impact on the field of modern nursing to the areas of infection control, hospital epidemiology, and hospice care.
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In previous literature, the stability and temporal evolution of psychobehavioral responses to an outbreak remained undefined, because of the exclusively cross-sectional nature of such study designs. ⋯ Our findings can assist in modifying public service announcements in the future, which should be tailored to psychobehavioral surveillance intelligence to achieve the desired behavioral outcomes. Future research should explore the use of more-sophisticated techniques, including structural equation modeling and game-theoretical frameworks, to analyze population psychology and behavior, and it should integrate such findings with transmission dynamics modeling.
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The prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) among gram-negative bacilli is rapidly increasing. Quantification of the prevalence and the common antimicrobial coresistance patterns of MDR gram-negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) isolates recovered from patients at hospital admission, as well as identification of patients with a high risk of harboring MDR-GNB, would have important implications for patient care. ⋯ A substantial number of patients harbor MDR-GNB at hospital admission. Identification of common coresistance patterns among MDR-GNB isolates may assist in the selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy for patients with a high risk of harboring MDR-GNB.
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Biocides (antiseptics, disinfectants, preservatives, and sterilants) are critical components of intervention strategies used in clinical medicine for preventing the dissemination of nosocomial diseases. Biocides are also used in community environments for personal hygiene and to prevent cross-contamination with foodborne pathogens. ⋯ The scientific community must weigh the risks and benefits of using biocides in clinical and community environments, to determine whether additional precautions are needed to guide biocide development and use. At present, insufficient scientific evidence exists to weigh these risks, and additional research is needed to allow appropriate characterization of risks in clinical and community environments.