The effect of a short educational intervention on the use of urinary catheters: a prospective cohort study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesTo assess the effectiveness of implementation of evidence-based recommendations to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs).Prospective cohort study, conducted in 2010-12, with a before and after design.A major referral university hospital.Data were collected before (n = 244) and 1 year after (n = 255) the intervention for patients who received urinary catheters.The intervention comprised two elements: (i) aligning doctors' and nurses' knowledge of indications for the use of catheters and (ii) an educational effort consisting of three 30- to 45-minute sessions on evidence-based practice regarding catheter usage for nursing personnel on 17 medical and surgical wards.The main outcome measures were the proportion of (i) admitted patients receiving urinary catheters during hospitalization, (ii) catheters inserted without indication, (iii) inpatient days with catheter and (iv) the incidence of CAUTIs per 1000 catheter days. Secondary outcome measures were the proportion of (i) catheter days without appropriate indication and (ii) patients discharged with a catheter.There was a reduction in the proportion of inpatient days with a catheter, from 44% to 41% (P = 0.006). There was also a reduction in the proportion of catheter days without appropriate indication (P < 0.001) and patients discharged with a catheter (P = 0.029). The majority of catheters were inserted outside the study wards.A short educational intervention was feasible and resulted in significant practice improvements in catheter usage but no reduction of CAUTIs. Other measures than CAUTI may be more sensitive to detecting important practice changes.Icelandic Nurses' Association Research Fund Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund Ministry of Welfare in Icelan

Detailed Multiplex Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Specific Antibodies in COVID-19 Disease.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadA detailed understanding of the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 is of high importance, especially with the emergence of novel vaccines. A multiplex-based assay, analyzing IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD), spike 1 (S1), and nucleocapsid proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was set up. The multiplex-based analysis was calibrated against the Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay on a Roche Cobas® instrument, using positive and negative samples. The calibration of the multiplex based assay yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 97.7%. SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody levels were analyzed by multiplex in 251 samples from 221 patients. A significant increase in all antibody types (IgM, IgG, and IgA) against RBD was observed between the first and the third weeks of disease. Additionally, the S1 IgG antibody response increased significantly between weeks 1, 2, and 3 of disease. Class switching appeared to occur earlier for IgA than for IgG. Patients requiring hospital admission and intensive care had higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgA levels than outpatients. These findings describe the initial antibody response during the first weeks of disease and demonstrate the importance of analyzing different antibody isotypes against multiple antigens and include IgA when examining the immunological response to COVID-19.Student Innovation Fun

Biodiversity of benthic invertebrates and bioprospecting in Icelandic waters

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access.Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, with an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles that is largely unexplored with respect to chemical constituents of the marine biota. Iceland is a geothermally active area and hosts both hot and cold adapted organisms on land and in the ocean around it. In particular, the confluence of cold and warm water masses and geothermal activity creates a unique marine environment that has not been evaluated for the potential of marine natural product diversity. Marine organisms need to protect themselves from other organisms trying to overgrow, and some need to secure their place on the bottom of the ocean. Unexplored and unique areas such as the hydrothermal vent site at the sea floor in Eyjafjordur are of particular interest. In 1992 a collaborative research programme on collecting and identifying benthic invertebrates around Iceland (BIOICE) was established, with participation of Icelandic and foreign institutes, universities and taxonomists on benthic invertebrates from all over the world. Since the programme started almost 2,000 species have been identified and of those 41 species are new to science. Our recent bioprospecting project is directed towards the first systematic investigation of the marine natural product diversity of benthic invertebrates occurring in Icelandic waters, and their potential for drug-lead discovery in several key therapeutic areas.Univ Iceland, Sch Hlth Sci, Fac Pharmaceut Sci, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 2 ] Univ Iceland, Sch Hlth Sci, Fac Med, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 3 ] Landspitali Univ Hosp, Ctr Rheumatol Res, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 4 ] Landspitali Univ Hosp, Dept Immunol, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 5 ] Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Chem & Biochem, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 6 ] Univ Calif San Diego, Skaggs Sch Pharm & Pharmaceut Sci, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA Show the Organization-Enhanced name(s) [ 7 ] Univ Iceland, Sch Engn & Nat Sci, Fac Life & Environm Sci, IS-101 Reykjavik, Icelan

Detailed Multiplex Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Specific Antibodies in COVID-19 Disease

A detailed understanding of the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 is of high importance, especially with the emergence of novel vaccines. A multiplex-based assay, analyzing IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD), spike 1 (S1), and nucleocapsid proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was set up. The multiplex-based analysis was calibrated against the Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay on a Roche Cobas® instrument, using positive and negative samples. The calibration of the multiplex based assay yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 97.7%. SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody levels were analyzed by multiplex in 251 samples from 221 patients. A significant increase in all antibody types (IgM, IgG, and IgA) against RBD was observed between the first and the third weeks of disease. Additionally, the S1 IgG antibody response increased significantly between weeks 1, 2, and 3 of disease. Class switching appeared to occur earlier for IgA than for IgG. Patients requiring hospital admission and intensive care had higher levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgA levels than outpatients. These findings describe the initial antibody response during the first weeks of disease and demonstrate the importance of analyzing different antibody isotypes against multiple antigens and include IgA when examining the immunological response to COVID-19