Bloodstream infections (BSIs) associated with insertion and maintenance of central venous catheters (CRBSIs) are the most frequent causes of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units ...(ICUs). They are responsible for increased length of hospital stay and additional healthcare costs.
To investigate whether an educational programme aimed at healthcare workers resulted in a significant change in the level and trend of infections.
The research was conducted in five Italian ICUs from July 2012 to August 2014. Surveillance and educational interventions to control infections were applied. Compliance with hand hygiene procedures was assessed via relative risk and 95% confidence interval. Interrupted time-series analysis was used to investigate the change in level and trend of infection during the intervention.
Compliance with hand hygiene procedures improved during the intervention for all staff groups, but physicians showed the lowest compliance rates (nurses from 52.4% to 92.1%; nurse aides from 71.0% to 92%; physicians from 71.0% to 92%; P < 0.001). Significant reductions of 21–55% in CRBSI were observed during the intervention. Small improvements in the monthly infection trend were also observed, but these were not statistically significant.
An educational programme focusing on general good infection control practice, rather than CVC care bundles, led to a decreased CRBSI rate, even if the improvement was not sustained over time. Continuous performance feedback should be provided to promote long-term adherence to guidelines among all health workers.
•Seasonal reproduction, in sheep, has been found to be associated to MTNR1A gene polymorphism.•In some study this effect is influenced by the breed sheep, age and/or body condition.•We confirmed that ...in Sarda sheep this polymorphism influences the seasonal reproduction regardless of BCS and age.•The advance of reproductive activity out of breeding season leads to an extension of the productive period.
In several species, circadian changes in melatonin concentrations play a key role in the photoperiodic control of seasonality. In sheep, two silent mutations in the melatonin receptor 1A gene (MTNR1A) at positions 606 and 612 of the exon II are associated with seasonal reproduction. However, in some sheep breeds, no relationships have been found between MTNR1A polymorphisms and reproductive seasonality. This lack of relationship could be due to effects of breed, body condition, age, and/or environmental conditions. Thus, the present study was conducted with the Sarda sheep breed with the aim of documenting the effect of MTNR1A gene polymorphisms on reproductive resumption and to evaluate whether such this effect was modified by differences in body condition score (BCS) and age. Six hundred three- to six-year-old multiparous ewes with BCSs between 2.5 and 3.5 were selected. Genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to PCR to amplify the ovine exon II of the MTNR1A gene. The amplicons were subjected to digestion with the restriction enzymes RsaI and MnlI to detect the T606C and A612G polymorphisms, respectively. Ewes carrying the G/G, G/A, C/C, and C/T genotypes exhibited higher fertility rates (P<0.05) and fewer numbers of days between the introduction of rams and parturition (P<0.05) than did the A/A and T/T genotypes. The data revealed that the MTNR1A gene polymorphisms influenced spring reproductive resumption in the Sarda sheep breed. Moreover, the data also indicated that, over the limited ranges evaluated in this study, BCS and age had no significant influence on reproductive activity.
Cavity polaritons, the elementary optical excitations of semiconductor microcavities, may be understood as a superposition of excitons and cavity photons. Owing to their composite nature, these ...bosonic particles have a distinct optical response, at the same time very fast and highly nonlinear. Very efficient light amplification due to polariton-polariton parametric scattering has recently been reported in semiconductor microcavities at liquid-helium temperatures. Here we demonstrate polariton parametric amplification up to 120 K in GaAlAs-based microcavities and up to 220 K in CdTe-based microcavities. We show that the cut-off temperature for the amplification is ultimately determined by the binding energy of the exciton. A 5-µm-thick planar microcavity can amplify a weak light pulse more than 5,000 times. The effective gain coefficient of an equivalent homogeneous medium would be 107 cm-1. The subpicosecond duration and high efficiency of the amplification could be exploited for high-repetition all-optical microscopic switches and amplifiers. 105 polaritons occupy the same quantum state during the amplification, realizing a dynamical condensate of strongly interacting bosons which can be studied at high temperature.
The use of environmental friendly solvents for the fabrication of solution processed organic photovoltaics is a key issue to scale up the technology. Nowadays however, toxic and harmful chlorinated ...solvents are largely used in polymer solar cell laboratory research. In this work we successfully reached high solubility and miscibility of the low band gap polymer Poly4,8-bis(2-ethylhexyl)oxybenzo1,2-b:4,5-b′dithiophene-2,6-diyl3-fluoro-2-(2-ethylhexyl)carbonylthieno3,4-bthiophenediyl (PBDTTT-E-F, commonly known as PTB7), blended with 6,6-Phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl-ester (70PCBM fullerene derivative) in a non-chlorinated solvent (Dimethylbenzenes also known as Xylenes). We studied the solar cells realized depositing blend solutions based on various Xylenes (ortho, para and an isomeric mixture from technical grade) achieving high power conversion efficiencies up to 8.7%.
•We studied PTB7:70PCBM solar cells made by solutions based on various Xylenes.•We achieved PCE of 8.73%, 7.87% and 8.22%, respectively for o-Xy, p-Xy and mix-Xy.•We achieved high efficiency with Xylene from technical grade (isomeric mixture).•We overcome the reference chlorobenzene sample PCE (7.87%) with two of the Xylenes.
In the present study, we numerically investigate turbulent scalar mixing taking place downstream of highly under-expanded jets. The focus is placed on two inter-related issues: (i) the closure of the ...mean scalar dissipation rate (SDR) and (ii) the turbulence–scalar interaction (TSI) term. It is indeed commonly admitted that the former, i.e., the SDR, which is defined as the product of the scalar diffusivity with the squared scalar gradient, provides a good measure of the mixing efficiency. In turbulent flows, the mean (turbulent) SDR requires a specific closure to be settled. It is generally obtained within the approximation of a linear relaxation of scalar fluctuations or linear relaxation model. We will first evaluate herein the performance of this widely used closure. The analysis is further developed by means of the consideration of the mean SDR transport equation which shows that, in gaseous conditions, the SDR is mainly driven by two terms: (i) a dissipation contribution and (ii) the third-order correlation between the velocity gradient tensor and small-scale scalar anisotropy tensor. The scalar mixing efficiency thus appears to be controlled by the latter quantity, which is often denoted as the TSI term. It can be shown that only the symmetric part (rate of strain) of the velocity gradient tensor contributes to this term; the anti-symmetric part modifies, indeed, the orientation of the scalar gradient but not its magnitude. The classical approach is to analyze this contribution in the eigenframe of the rate of strain tensor. Such analyses show that, in homogeneous isotropic turbulence, the scalar gradient tends to align with the most compressive direction, thus leading to SDR production. However, the present conditions, which are far from homogeneity and involve strong density variations, may modify this classical picture. The present study analyzes this possible influence.
Synthesis of (+)-xestodecalactone A Reddy, G. Nagendra; Mura Reddy, Gudisela; Sridhar, Gattu ...
Natural product research,
11/2022, Volume:
36, Issue:
21
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The total synthesis of Benzannulated macrolide, (+)-Xestodecalactone A was accomplished starting from commercially available enantiomerically pure propylene oxide and 3,5-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid ...using Grignard reaction, alkylation of 1,3-dithiane and Yamaguchi macrolactonisation as key steps.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few data are available concerning the long-term prognosis of chronic liver disease associated with hepatitis C virus infection. This study examined the morbidity and survival of ...patients with compensated cirrhosis type C.
METHODS: A cohort of 384 European cirrhotic patients was enrolled at seven tertiary referral hospitals and followed up for a mean period of 5 years. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, abnormal serum aminotransferase levels, absence of complications of cirrhosis, and exclusion of hepatitis A and B viruses and of metabolic, toxic, or autoimmune liver diseases.
RESULTS: Antibodies against hepatitis C virus were positive in 98% of 361 patients tested. The 5-year risk of hepatocellular carcinoma was 7% and that of decompensation was 18%. Death occurred in 51 patients (13%), with 70% dying of liver disease. Survival probability was 91% and 79% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Two hundred five patients (53%) were treated with interferon alfa. After adjustment for clinical and serological differences at baseline between patients treated or not treated with interferon, the 5-year estimated survival probability was 96% and 95% for treated and untreated patients, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients, life expectancy is relatively long, in agreement with the morbidity data showing a slowly progressive disease.
(Gastroenterology 1997 Feb;112(2):463-72)
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