76 research outputs found

    Introduction of an electronic monitoring system for monitoring compliance with Moments 1 and 4 of the WHO "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" methodology

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    Background: MedSense is an electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system that provides Infection Control Practitioners with continuous access to hand hygiene compliance information by monitoring Moments 1 and 4 of the WHO "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" guidelines. Unlike previous electronic monitoring systems, MedSense operates in open cubicles with multiple beds and does not disrupt existing workflows.Methods: This study was conducted in a 6-bed neurosurgical intensive care unit with technical development and evaluation phases. Healthcare workers (HCWs) wore an electronic device in the style of an identity badge to detect hand hygiene opportunities and compliance. We compared the compliance determined by the system and an infection control nurse. At the same time, the system assessed compliance by time of day, day of week, work shift, professional category of HCWs, and individual subject, while the workload of HCWs was monitored by measuring the amount of time they spent in patient zones.Results: During the three-month evaluation phase, the system identified 13,694 hand hygiene opportunities from 17 nurses, 3 physiotherapists, and 1 healthcare assistant, resulting in an overall compliance of 35.1% for the unit. The per-indication compliance for Moment 1, 4, and simultaneous 1 and 4 were 21.3% (95%CI: 19.0, 23.6), 39.6% (95%CI: 37.3, 41.9), and 49.2% (95%CI: 46.6, 51.8), respectively, and were all statistically significantly different (p < 0.001). In the four 20-minute sessions when hand hygiene was monitored concurrently by the system and infection control nurse, the compliance were 88.9% and 95.6% respectively (p = 0.34), and the activity indices were 11.1 and 12.9 opportunities per hour, respectively. The hours from 12:00 to 14:00 had a notably lower compliance (21.3%, 95%CI: 17.2, 25.3) than nearly three quarters of the other periods of the day (p < 0.001). Nurses who used shared badges had significantly (p < 0.01) lower compliance (23.7%, 95%CI: 17.8, 29.6) than both the registered nurses (36.1%, 95%CI: 34.2, 37.9) and nursing officers (34.0%, 95%CI: 31.1, 36.9) who used named badges.Conclusion: MedSense provides an unobtrusive and objective measurement of hand hygiene compliance. The information is important for staff training by the infection control team and allocation of manpower by hospital administration. © 2011 Cheng et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

    Phylogenetic analysis of planarian collagens and their roles in regeneration

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    Poster Presentation - Theme 3: Development & stem cellsStem cells are regulated by the microenvironment or niche they reside in, which consists of growth factors, niche cells and the extracellular matrix. The ECM acts as both a structural component and as a reservoir for growth factors that are released upon degradation. During regeneration, stem cells in the planarian are activated to migrate and proliferate; however, the role of the ECM in stem cell regulation is still unclear. Analysis of an EST library of planarian transcripts revealed nine fibrillar-related collagen chains (DjCol1-9). Sequence and structural analysis ...postprin

    Integrin α7 is a functional cancer stem cell surface marker in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

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    Adopting RFID for body parts tagging: a Local Association Network approach

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    Adopting an innovative technology often requires extensive intelligence research. A major value indicator for RFID Technology adoption is how the potentials of RFID can translate into actions to improve business operational efficiency [1]. This paper presents a Local Association Network (LAN) approach to developing RFID enabled visibility systems for body tagging. On site testing validates the proposed approach. User feedback strengthens our belief that the proposed approach would help facilitate RFID technology adoption in body tagging. © 2010 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

    Community nursing services for postdischarge chronically ill patients

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    Author name used in this publication: Susan K. Y. ChowAuthor name used in this publication: Frances K. Y. WongAuthor name used in this publication: Loretta Y. F. Chung2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

    Regulatory role of miR-142-3p on the functional hepatic cancer stem cell marker CD133

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    Tumor relapse after therapy typifies hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is believed to be attributable to residual cancer stem cells (CSCs) that survive treatment. We have previously identified a CSC population derived from HCC that is characterized by CD133. Despite our growing knowledge of the importance of this subset of cells in driving HCC, the regulatory mechanism of CD133 is not known. Epigenetic changes are believed to be essential in the control of cancer and stem cells. Here, we report the epigenetic regulation of CD133 by miR-142-3p. The interaction between CD133 and miR-142-3p was identified by in silico prediction and substantiated by luciferase reporter analysis. Expression of CD133 was found to be inversely correlated with miR-142-3p in HCC clinical samples as well as in cell lines. Importantly, lower miR-142-3p expression in HCC was significantly associated with worst survival. Functional studies with miR-142-3p stably transduced in HCC cells demonstrated a diminished ability to self-renew, initiate tumor growth, invade, migrate, induce angiogenesis and resist chemotherapy. Rescue experiments whereby CD133 and miR-142-3p is simultaneously overexpressed compensated the deregulated ability of the cells to confer these features. Thus, miR-142-3p directly targets CD133 to regulate its ability to confer cancer and stem cell-like features in HCC.published_or_final_versio

    ANXA3/JNK Signaling Promotes Self-Renewal and Tumor Growth, and Its Blockade Provides a Therapeutic Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

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    Frequent tumor relapse in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been commonly attributed to the presence of residual cancer stem cells (CSCs) after conventional treatments. We have previously identified and characterized CD133 to mark a specific CSC subset in HCC. In the present study, we found endogenous and secretory annexin A3 (ANXA3) to play pivotal roles in promoting cancer and stem cell-like features in CD133+ liver CSCs through a dysregulated JNK pathway. Blockade of ANXA3 with an anti-ANXA3 monoclonal antibody in vitro as well as in human HCC xenograft models resulted in a significant reduction in tumor growth and self-renewal. Clinically, ANXA3 expression in HCC patient sera closely associated with aggressive clinical features. Our results suggest that ANXA3 can serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker and that the inhibition of ANXA3 may be a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of CD133+ liver-CSC-driven HCC. © 2015 The Authors.published_or_final_versio

    Relationship between autoantibody clustering and clinical subsets in SLE: cluster and association analyses in Hong Kong Chinese

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    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the existence of, and relationship between autoantibody clusters and clinical subsets in Chinese SLE patients. METHODS: Data from 1928 SLE patients from Hong Kong were analysed. Using cluster analysis, patients were grouped by autoantibodies into clusters. The frequencies of various clinical manifestations were then compared between each cluster. Separate association analyses between individual autoantibodies and clinical manifestations as well as between clinical manifestations were also performed without any prior clustering. RESULTS: Three separate autoantibody clusters were identified, each with significantly different clinical manifestations. Cluster 1 was characterized by anti-dsDNA and the greatest prevalence of renal disorder but the lowest frequencies of other clinical manifestations. Cluster 2 was represented by the predominance of anti-Smith, anti-RNP and aPL, with greater prevalence of malar rash, oral ulcers, arthritis and serositis. Cluster 3 was characterized by anti-Ro and anti-La with greater prevalence of discoid rash, photosensitivity and haematological involvement. Individual association analysis also revealed similar findings. Patients of clusters 2 and 3 were more closely related, while cluster 1 was more distinct, associated with renal disorder only and negatively associated or not associated with other manifestations. CONCLUSION: We conclude that autoantibody clustering and clinical subsets exist in SLE patients of our locality. These clusters may be viewed as a bipolar spectrum of related autoantibody and clinical manifestations. At one end are patients with over-representation of anti-dsDNA and renal disorder, while at the other end are two distinct autoantibody clusters (anti-Sm/anti-RNP/aPL and anti-Ro/anti-La) with overlapping of other clinical manifestations.postprin

    Comparative effectiveness of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue as add-on therapies to sulphonylurea among diabetes patients in the Asia-Pacific region: a systematic review

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    The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rising globally, and it induces a substantial public health burden to the healthcare systems. Its optimal control is one of the most significant challenges faced by physicians and policy-makers. Whereas some of the established oral hypoglycaemic drug classes like biguanide, sulphonylureas, thiazolidinediones have been extensively used, the newer agents like dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors and the human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues have recently emerged as suitable options due to their similar efficacy and favorable side effect profiles. These agents are widely recognized alternatives to the traditional oral hypoglycaemic agents or insulin, especially in conditions where they are contraindicated or unacceptable to patients. Many studies which evaluated their clinical effects, either alone or as add-on agents, were conducted in Western countries. There exist few reviews on their effectiveness in the Asia-Pacific region. The purpose of this systematic review is to address the comparative effectiveness of these new classes of medications as add-on therapies to sulphonylurea drugs among diabetic patients in the Asia-Pacific countries. We conducted a thorough literature search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE from the inception of these databases to August 2013, supplemented by an additional manual search using reference lists from research studies, meta-analyses and review articles as retrieved by the electronic databases. A total of nine randomized controlled trials were identified and described in this article. It was found that DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 analogues were in general effective as add-on therapies to existing sulphonylurea therapies, achieving HbA1c reductions by a magnitude of 0.59–0.90% and 0.77–1.62%, respectively. Few adverse events including hypoglycaemic attacks were reported. Therefore, these two new drug classes represent novel therapies with great potential to be major therapeutic options. Future larger-scale research should be conducted among other Asia-Pacific region to evaluate their efficacy in other ethnic groups
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