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1.
J Hosp Infect ; 135: 171-178, 2023 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36934790

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Disinfection of gloves might reduce the workload of healthcare workers, protect the environment, and bring economic benefits. Thus, the safety of hand hygiene of gloved hands is an important issue. AIM: We aimed to evaluate the risk of microbial transmission by comparing residual micro-organisms after multiple patient contacts, with or without gloves, in clinical practice. METHODS: Researchers, two with gloved hands (single or double gloves) and one with bare hands, made rounds of patients, followed by alcohol-based hand rub. Hand imprints were obtained before and after the rounds and cultured. The number of colony-forming units (cfu) of gloved and bare hands was compared, and the colony distribution was evaluated semi-quantitatively by hand region. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 108 imprints were obtained after 10 rounds. The median cfu counts were significantly higher in the gloved hands (single and double) than in the bare hands (9.00 vs 3.50, P=0.028). The cfu counts of single- and double-gloved hands were higher after than before contact (P=0.044 and P=0.001, respectively). Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was identified in a pair of double gloves after a round, which included patients with the same organism with identical antibiotic susceptibility results. The mean percentage of colony-growing compartments from gloved hands was significantly higher than that of bare hands in the finger and wrist regions (P=0.019 and P=0.049, respectively). Compared with bare hands, reuse of gloves increased residual microbial colonies and potential for transmission of multi-drug-resistant organisms, even after using alcohol-based hand rub.


Subject(s)
Hand Hygiene , Humans , Hand Hygiene/methods , Hand , Disinfection/methods , Ethanol , 2-Propanol , Hand Disinfection/methods , Gloves, Protective , Colony Count, Microbial
2.
Int J Biometeorol ; 63(7): 927-938, 2019 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30895382

ABSTRACT

Thermal comfort could indicate human thermal sensation when exposed to a local meteorological condition. Because humans can suffer illness when exposed to heat or even die, it is essential to assess human comfort levels to increased temperature and to provide this information to the public. This study aims to estimate thermal comfort using the human heat balance model combined with a numerical meteorological model in Seoul mega city during the heat wave periods experienced during 2016. The gridded thermal comfort index of physiological subjective temperature (PST) was calculated based on the Man-Environment Heat Exchange (MENEX) model, which used as inputs the meteorological parameters, clothing insulations, and metabolic rates. High-resolution meteorological parameters were obtained by coupling Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with Building Effect Parameterization (BEP) + Building Energy Model (BEM) using detailed urban classification. The modeling results showed that the PST distribution has a clearly heterogeneous spatial distribution during the heat wave period. The high PST values were largely found in the residential area during the day, due to the high temperature and low wind speed associated with high-density buildings, and the daily maximum PST reached a very hot level (44.1-54.0 °C). Our study suggested that the human heat balance model combined with the numerical meteorological model could be used to provide more reliable information about thermal comfort to groups that may be vulnerable to the effects of heat waves in complex urban environments.


Subject(s)
Extreme Heat , Cities , Humans , Seoul , Thermosensing , Weather
3.
J Hosp Infect ; 99(4): 487-491, 2018 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29476883

ABSTRACT

A 10-month active surveillance study was conducted to assess carriage of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and toxigenic Clostridium difficile colonization among patients transferred to hospital from long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Four (1.4%) patients with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (none of which were CPE), 59 (21%) patients with VRE and 20 (7.1%) patients colonized with toxigenic C. difficile were identified from 282 rectal specimens. There was no outbreak of VRE infection during the study period. The low prevalence of CPE carriage suggests that screening all admissions from LTCFs for CPE would not be cost-effective, and that screening and use of contact precautions for VRE should be reconsidered.


Subject(s)
Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae/isolation & purification , Carrier State/microbiology , Clostridioides difficile/isolation & purification , Clostridium Infections/microbiology , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/microbiology , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci/isolation & purification , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carrier State/epidemiology , Clostridium Infections/epidemiology , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/epidemiology , Epidemiological Monitoring , Feces/microbiology , Female , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Korea/epidemiology , Long-Term Care , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence
4.
Clin Microbiol Infect ; 22(10): 880-886, 2016 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27475739

ABSTRACT

Given the mode of transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), healthcare workers (HCWs) in contact with MERS patients are expected to be at risk of MERS infections. We evaluated the prevalence of MERS coronavirus (CoV) immunoglobulin (Ig) G in HCWs exposed to MERS patients and calculated the incidence of MERS-affected cases in HCWs. We enrolled HCWs from hospitals where confirmed MERS patients had visited. Serum was collected 4 to 6 weeks after the last contact with a confirmed MERS patient. We performed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen for the presence of MERS-CoV IgG and an indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) to confirm MERS-CoV IgG. We used a questionnaire to collect information regarding the exposure. We calculated the incidence of MERS-affected cases by dividing the sum of PCR-confirmed and serology-confirmed cases by the number of exposed HCWs in participating hospitals. In total, 1169 HCWs in 31 hospitals had contact with 114 MERS patients, and among the HCWs, 15 were PCR-confirmed MERS cases in study hospitals. Serologic analysis was performed for 737 participants. ELISA was positive in five participants and borderline for seven. IIFT was positive for two (0.3%) of these 12 participants. Among the participants who did not use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), seropositivity was 0.7% (2/294) compared to 0% (0/443) in cases with appropriate PPE use. The incidence of MERS infection in HCWs was 1.5% (17/1169). The seroprevalence of MERS-CoV IgG among HCWs was higher among participants who did not use appropriate PPE.


Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/statistics & numerical data , Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Coronavirus Infections/immunology , Female , Health Personnel , Health Surveys , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Population Surveillance , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Young Adult
5.
Infection ; 36(5): 475-9, 2008 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18574556

ABSTRACT

We report on a 34-year-old male patient with AIDS who developed retrobulbar optic neuritis and meningoencephalitis following bilateral progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV). This case documents the presumed association of PORN with retrobulbar optic neuritis, and CMV meningoencephalitis in an AIDS patient.


Subject(s)
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/virology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/virology , Meningoencephalitis/virology , Optic Neuritis/virology , Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute/virology , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/complications , Adult , Cytomegalovirus/physiology , Cytomegalovirus Infections/complications , Humans , Male , Meningoencephalitis/etiology , Optic Neuritis/etiology
6.
Gene Ther ; 14(15): 1132-42, 2007 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17508009

ABSTRACT

Medulloblastomas are highly malignant neuroectodermal cerebellar tumors of children. One of the reasons for the difficulty for the treatment of medulloblastomas is their inherent tendency to metastasize through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathway leading to leptomeningeal dissemination. Recently, genetically modified neural stem cells (NSCs) were shown to have the capability of selectively migrating into glioma mass and delivering therapeutic agents with significant therapeutic benefits. In the present study, we applied the NSC strategy to target medulloblastomas, particularly their leptomeningeal dissemination. We used NSCs that were retrovirally transduced with the cytosine deaminase gene (CD-NSCs). In vitro studies demonstrated that CD-NSCs had sufficient migratory activity toward medulloblastoma cells and exerted a remarkable bystander effect on these cells following the application of 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). It is noteworthy that neutralization of the hepatocyte growth factor blocked their migration In animal studies using our leptomeningeal dissemination model, CD-NSCs implanted directly into CSF space were shown to distribute diffusely within the disseminated tumor cells and could provide remarkable antitumor effect after intraperitoneal administration of 5-FC. Furthermore, CD-NSC treatment followed by 5-FC administration prolonged survival periods significantly in experimental animals. Our data suggest that the CD-NSC strategy can also be applied to target leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastomas.


Subject(s)
Cytosine Deaminase/genetics , Genetic Therapy/methods , Genetic Vectors/administration & dosage , Medulloblastoma/therapy , Meningeal Neoplasms/therapy , Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Animals , Antimetabolites/therapeutic use , Bystander Effect , Cell Line , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement , Cisterna Magna , Female , Flucytosine/therapeutic use , Glioma/therapy , Humans , In Situ Nick-End Labeling , Injections , Meninges/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Transplantation , Neurons/enzymology , Neurons/transplantation
7.
J Intern Med ; 261(3): 268-75, 2007 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17305649

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adherence to clinic visits early after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is predictive of long-term clinical outcome. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: A tertiary referral hospital. SUBJECTS: A total of 387 adult HIV patients who were followed for at least 1 year after initiation of HAART between January 1998 and December 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The effect of 1-year adherence to clinic visits on the occurrence of new AIDS-defining illness or death was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, and hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced clinical stage, fewer new drugs in HAART, and longer total elapsed time without clinical visits for 1 year after HAART were all significant risk factors for the occurrence of new AIDS-defining illnesses or death. Compared with no missed visits, the hazard ratio adjusted by clinical stage and number of new drugs in HAART was 2.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34-6.16, P = 0.007) for one missed appointment, 4.37 (95% CI: 1.74-10.98, P = 0.002) for two, and 8.19 (95% CI: 2.95-22.78, P < 0.001) for three or more. CONCLUSION: Adherence to clinic visits early after initiation of HAART is an independent predictor for long-term clinical progression in HIV patients.


Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Patient Compliance/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Ambulatory Care/psychology , Cohort Studies , Female , HIV Infections/psychology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Regression Analysis , Risk Factors , Treatment Outcome
8.
J Neurochem ; 75(3): 946-53, 2000 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10936175

ABSTRACT

Peripheral neuropathy following cisplatin treatment is a major limiting factor in cisplatin chemotherapy of cancer patients. We investigated the pathomechanism underlying cisplatin neuropathy using a mouse dorsal root ganglion neuron-neuroblastoma hybrid cell line (N18D3) developed in our laboratory. DNA fragmentation, a characteristic feature of apoptosis, was induced in hybrid neurons following treatment with cisplatin. Accumulation of p53, Fas, and Fas ligand (Fas-L) was also demonstrated in these neurons. Preincubation with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor of glutathione, blocked cisplatin-induced apoptosis completely, whereas Trolox, a vitamin E analogue, blocked it partially. Cisplatin-induced p53 accumulation was suppressed by NAC treatment, whereas p53 accumulation was retarded by Trolox treatment. In contrast, neither NAC nor Trolox showed any inhibitory effect on cisplatin-induced Fas/Fas-L accumulation. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effects of antioxidants against cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in hybrid neurons are mediated mainly through the inhibition of p53 accumulation but not of Fas/Fas-L accumulation by these antioxidants.


Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cisplatin/toxicity , Hybrid Cells/drug effects , Neurons, Afferent/drug effects , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism , fas Receptor/metabolism , Acetylcysteine/pharmacology , Animals , Cell Nucleus/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Chromans/pharmacology , Cisplatin/antagonists & inhibitors , DNA Fragmentation , Fas Ligand Protein , Ganglia, Spinal , Hybrid Cells/cytology , Hybrid Cells/physiology , Kinetics , Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism , Mice , Neuroblastoma , Neurons, Afferent/cytology , Neurons, Afferent/physiology
9.
Eur Urol ; 33(3): 290-2, 1998.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9555554

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine changes in erectile response to repeated audiovisual sexual stimulation in patients with psychogenic impotence and normal men. METHODS: The same erotic video was shown to 45 men (20 patients with psychogenic impotence and 25 normal men) for 3 consecutive days. Their erectile responses during the audiovisual stimulation were monitored using RigiScan (Dacomed, Minneapolis, Minn., USA), and the maximal rigidity of erection, sustained for more than 5 min, was measured. The rigidities on the first, second and third days were comparatively analyzed. Whether previous multiple viewings of the erotic movie and previous exposure to the same or a similar movie influenced the erectile response were also evaluated. RESULTS: Rigidity on the third day was significantly decreased compared to that on the first day in both patients with psychogenic impotence and normal controls (p < 0.05), regardless of the frequency of previous viewings and the previous exposure to a similar movie. Rigidity on the first day was significantly lower in the group with multiple viewings than in the group with fewer viewings (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time monitoring of penile erection during audiovisual sexual stimulation may result in false-negative responses when patients are repeatedly exposed to the stimulation.


Subject(s)
Erectile Dysfunction/diagnosis , Erotica , Penile Erection/psychology , Videotape Recording , Adult , Erectile Dysfunction/psychology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged
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