Antimicrobial Effect of Probiotics against Common Pathogens

The antimicrobial or antagonistic activity of probiotics is an important property that includes the production of antimicrobial compounds, competitive exclusion of pathogens, enhancement of the intestinal barrier function and others. There are many methods to ascertain probiotic properties, including various in vitro and in vivo methods. The in vivo methods include various modifications of the spot‐on lawn assay, agar well diffusion assay (AWDA), co‐culturing methods, usage of cell lines and others. In many cases in vitro antagonist activity is observed, but in real settings it is not observed. The in vivo methods mainly used are animal models; however, their use is being restricted according to the European legislation OJ L136. The justification of animal models is also questionable as the results of studies on animals do not predict the same results for humans. The use of replacement alternative methods, for example incorporating human cells and tissues, avoids such confounding variables. Most important studies are double‐blinded randomized clinical trials; however, these studies are difficult to perform as it is not easy to achieve uniform conditions. There is a clear need for more elaborate assays that would better represent the complex interactions between the probiotics and the final host. This complex situation is a challenge for scientists

Monitoramento da higiene de têxteis usados na indústria de alimentos

Protective clothing is required in the food-processing industry, to protect workers from contamination by bacteria, fungi, viruses, prions etc. contained in the secretions and raw meat of slaughtered animals, and to protect the meat from being contaminated by microorganisms carried by the workers. It is well-understood that textiles are a control point (CP), and must be appropriately cleaned and disinfected in order to prevent biocontamination. Although the laundering procedure itself is important for achieving disinfection, it is also essential to maintain an appropriate hygiene level in the laundry, in order to prevent recontamination of textiles by environmental viable microorganisms. In this study, a sanitary-microbiologicalanalysis was carried out in selected CPs in two laundries. Chemo-thermal washing efficiency was determined by evaluating the anti-bacterial effect against Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus. The hygienic state of the laundries was determined by evaluating the number and type of microorganisms at selected CPs throughout the whole laundering procedure. The results indicated that the sanitary condition of both laundries did not reach the required levels and that several microbes were resistant to cleaning and disinfecting agents. It is obvious from the results that achievement of an appropriate hygiene level during laundering textiles from the food processing industry requires the implementation of appropriate corrective monitoring measures.Na indústria de alimentos é necessário o uso de roupas de proteção, para proteger os trabalhadores da contaminação por bactérias, fungos, virus, prions, etc, encontrados nas secreções e carne dos animais abatidos, assim como proteger a carne da contaminação com microrganismos carreados pelos trabalhadores. Os têxteis são um Ponto de Controle (PC), e devem ser limpos e desinfetados de forma adequada para prevenir a biocontaminação. Embora o processo de lavagem seja importante para obter a desinfecção, é também essencial manter um nível apropriado de higiene dentro da lavanderia para prevenir recontaminação dos têxteis com microrganismos do ambiente. Nesse trabalho, realizou-se uma análise microbiológica de Pontos Críticos de duas lavanderias. A eficiência da lavagem termoquímica foi determinada através da análise do efeito antibacteriano contra Enterococcus faecium e Staphylococcus aureus. A higiene nas lavanderias foi avaliada através da determinação do número e tipos de microrganismos presentes em PCs selecionados no processo de lavagem. Os resultados indicaram que as condições de higiene nas duas lavanderias não atingiram os níveis necessários, e que vários microrganismos apresentaram resistência aos agentes sanificantes e de limpeza, indicando a necessidade de implementação de medidas corretivas apropriadas

Biodegradation of typical laundry wastewater surfactants – a review

Zagađenje otpadnih voda u praonicama ovisi o vrsti materijala, količini zaprljanja i procesima pranja. Ono je uzrokovano otapanjem organskih i anorganskih tvari, kao i sedimentiranima (istaloženim) i toksičnim tvarima. Deterdženti, odnosno sredstva za pranje sadrže različite kemikalije, upotrebljavaju se u velikim količinama koje utječu na okoliš, te je vrlo važno nakon upotrebe njihovo provođenje u sustav za obradu otpadnih voda. Budući da njihova prisutnost utječe na ukupnu toksičnost efluenata. U radu su predstavljena spoznaje iz različitih literaturaturnih izvora i prikazana svojstva biorazgradnje najčešće upotrebljavanih tenzida. Da bi se odredila njihova rizičnost za okoliš, potrebno je poznavati distribuciju, svojstva i razgradnju tenzida u različitim dijelovima postrojenja za obradu otpadnih voda.The pollution of laundry wastewater is dependent on the origin of the linen, soil degree of the linen and the laundering process. It is caused by dissolved organic and inorganic substances, as well as sedimented and toxic substances. Washing detergents contain various chemicals used in great quantities whose influence on the environment is very important as they are transferred into wastewater treatment plants after use and are, therefore, also present in effluent, where they add their contribution to the total toxicity of the effluent. This review paper summarizes the findings of various literature and presents the biodegradation of most often used surfactants. In order to assess their environmental risks, we need to understand the distribution, behaviour and degradation of surfactants in the different parts of a wastewater treatment plant

Hygiene evaluation of hospital textiles

Neprikladno dezinficirani bolnički tekstil može biti uzročnik prijenosa zdravstvenih infekcija, koje predstavljaju komplikacije u liječenju bolesnika i izazvaju gospodarske štete. Programom nadzora, koji uključuje kontrolu higijene i uzorkovanje očišćenog bolničkog tekstila, moguće je spriječiti bolničke infekcije. Metode, ovisno o uzorkovanju tekstila i stanju tkanine na kraju procesa, mogu biti destruktivne i nedestruktivne. Ovo istraživanje obuhvaća ispitivanje higijene tekstila primjenom nedestruktivne metode ispiranja pomoću uređaja Morapex A. U radu je načinjena usporedba učinkovitosti uređaja Morapex s najčešće korištenim metodama uzorkovanja tekstila pomoću briseva i RODAC agar ploča. Ove metode su se pokazale lošijima i nisko učinkovitim, prije svega zbog grube i neravne trodimenzionalne površine tkanine, dok se Morapex uređaj pokazao dobrim i prikladnim za nedestruktivna ispitivanja higijene tekstila.Inappropriately disinfected hospital textiles can act as a vector for cross transmission of healthcare associated infections, which represent complications in the treatment of patients and cause economic damage. Through the surveillance program that includes controlling the hygiene and sampling of cleaned healthcare textiles, nosocomial infections are considered to be preventable. Until now various types of textile sampling methods were divided into non-destructive and destructive methods, which vary depending on the state of the fabric at the end of the process. In our research, the Morapex A device as a non-destructive elution based method, was introduced for textile hygiene testing. The efficiency of Morapex A device was compared to the swabbing and RODAC agar plate sampling as most common used methods for sampling of textiles. The low efficiency of capturing microorganisms due to the rough, uneven three-dimensional fabric surface turned out to be the downside of the swabbing and RODAC plate method. The Morapex A device has proved to be a better implementation and an adequate substitute for non-destructive textile hygiene testing

Health professionals' knowledge of probiotics : an international survey

The objective of this study was to survey health professionals to investigate their knowledge of probiotics. An online survey was conducted to gather data on the knowledge of health professionals. The online survey was distributed via email and social media platforms using snowball sampling. A total of 1066 health professionals (859; 80.6% female) from 30 countries responded to the survey. Most of the respondents evaluated their knowledge of probiotics as medium (36.4%) or good (36.2%). Only 8.9% of the respondents rated it as excellent. No statistical difference in knowledge was found between male and female health professionals. Over 80% of pharmacists, allied health professionals, medical doctors and dentists, and other health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”, whereas three quarters of registered nurses and midwives and less than two thirds of psychologists identified the correct definition. Statistically, more female than male health professionals knew the correct definition of probiotics. The most frequently recognized species of bacteria containing probiotic strains were Lactobacillus acidophilus (92%), Bifidobacterium bifidum (82%), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (62%). The opinions on when it is best to take probiotics were different (χ2 = 28.375; p < 0.001), with 90.2% of respondents identifying that probiotics have beneficial effects if taken during antibiotic therapy, 83.5% for diarrhea, 70.6% for constipation, 63.3% before traveling abroad, and 60.4% for treating allergies. Almost 79% of health professionals involved in this study have advised their patients to use probiotics and 57.5% of the respondents wanted to learn more about probiotics. All things considered, health professionals have a medium level of knowledge of probiotics, which could be improved by the implementation of targeted learning programs. As probiotics have many beneficial effects in a wide range of health areas, health professionals need to adopt the use of probiotics in clinical practice

Utjecaj cijene prehrambenih proizvoda na kvalitetu prehrane starijih osoba u domaćoj okolini The impact of costs of nutrition’s on the overall quality of nutrition of the elderly population in the local environment

Uvod: U razdoblju nestabilne gospodarske situacije populacija starije životne dobi posebice je osjetljiva. Nezadovoljavajući socijalno-ekonomski položaj osoba starije životne dobi znatno smanjuje mogućnost provođenja zdravog načina življenja. Svrha je članka istražiti utjecaj ekonomskih čimbenika na stupanj kvalitete prehrane osoba starije životne dobi. Metode: Kvantitativna metoda istraživanja. Uporabljen je strukturirani upitnik. U istraživanje je uključeno 60 ispitanika životne dobi starije od 65 godina. Rezultati: Verificirano je da ekonomski čimbenici znatno utječu na kvalitetnu i uravnoteženu prehranu osoba starije životne dobi.. Rasprava: Pri kupnji namirnica važnu ulogu ima cijena proizvoda. Unatoč cijeni proizvoda, osobe starije životne dobi pri kupnji obraćaju posebnu pozornost na sastav namirnica u prehrambenim proizvodima. Zaključak: Medicinske sestre/tehničari trebaju u lokalnoj zajednici uporabiti metode edukacije programima i praktičnim radionicama u čijem je sadržaju potrebno predstaviti učinkovitost zdravih sastojaka hrane

Probiotics for preventing and treating infant regurgitation : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Infant regurgitation is common during infancy and can cause substantial parental distress. Regurgitation can lead to parental perception that their infant is in pain. Parents often present in general practitioner surgeries, community baby clinics and accident and emergency departments which can lead to financial burden on parents and the health care system. Probiotics are increasingly reported to have therapeutic effects for preventing and treating infant regurgitation. The objective of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic supplementation for the prevention and treatment of infant regurgitation. Literature searches were conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials. Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included. A meta‐analysis was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration methodology where possible. Six RCTs examined the prevention or treatment with probiotics on infant regurgitation. A meta‐analysis of three studies showed a statistically significant reduction in regurgitation episodes for the probiotic group compared to the placebo group (mean difference [MD]: −1.79 episodes/day: 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.30 to −0.27, N = 560), but there was high heterogeneity (96%). Meta‐analysis of two studies found a statistically significant increased number of stools per day in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group at 1 month of age (MD: 1.36, 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.73, N = 488), with moderate heterogeneity (69%). Meta‐analysis of two studies showed no statistical difference in body weight between the two groups (MD: −91.88 g, 95% CI: 258.40–74.63: I2 = 23%, N = 112) with minimal heterogeneity 23%. Probiotic therapy appears promising for infant regurgitation with some evidence of benefit, but most studies are small and there was relatively high heterogeneity. The use of probiotics could potentially be a noninvasive, safe, cost effective, and preventative positive health strategy for both women and their babies. Further robust, well controlled RCTs examining the effect of probiotics for infant regurgitation are warranted

Impact of Education, Working Conditions, and Interpersonal Relationships on Caregivers’ Job Satisfaction

Aim: To explore relationships between caregivers’ education, healthcare working conditions, interpersonal relationships, and caregivers’ general job satisfaction

Hospital textiles, are they a possible vehicle for healthcare-associated infections?

Textiles are a common material in healthcare facilitiestherefore it is important that they do not pose as a vehicle for the transfer of pathogens to patients or hospital workers. During the course of use hospital textiles become contaminated and laundering is necessary. Laundering of healthcare textiles is most commonly adequate, but in some instances, due to inappropriate disinfection or subsequent recontamination, the textiles may become a contaminated inanimate surface with the possibility to transfer pathogens. In this review we searched the published literature in order to answer four review questions: (1) Are there any reports on the survival of microorganisms on hospital textiles after laundering? (2) Are there any reports that indicate the presence of microorganisms on hospital textiles during use? (3) Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection of patients? (4) Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection for healthcare workers